1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electronic messaging. More specifically, the present invention relates to reducing the amount of input required when generating electronic messages using a device with limited input capabilities.
2. The Related Art
The popularity of the Internet has profoundly improved the way people communicate by allowing users quick and easy access to information. By accessing the World Wide Web, electronic mail, and instant messages people now stay in touch with each other around the globe, and can access information on a virtually limitless variety of subjects. As the popularity of the Internet continues to grow, there is an increase in the number of non-conventional devices used to communicate on the Internet. Devices such as mobile phones, pagers and televisions are often used to access information on the Internet. As a result, it may be the case that two users are engaged in a messaging session where one or both of the users are not using a conventional computer system.
As well as receiving information on such devices, there is a need to efficiently input information for transmission to others. Devices such as mobile phones, pagers and televisions conventionally have input devices that lack the functionality of a computer keyboard. As a result, there is often a need to select multiple keys on a touch-tone keypad or remote control to generate a single letter of readable text.
One such method assigns multiple characters to a single key. A user selects a certain letter by pressing the same key multiple times. For instance, the “1” key on a touch-tone keypad may be assigned the letters “a,” “b,” and “c.” To select the letter “a”, the user would need to press the “1” key once, for “b” twice and for “c” three times. Such methods may also included pressing another key to shift a device from numeric mode into alphabetic mode.
Another method assigns numeric values to each letter in the alphabet. For instance, to enter the letter “c” a user might press the “0” key and then the “3” key on a television remote control. These methods may also included pressing another key to shift a device from numeric mode into alphabetic mode.
Conventional methods require a user to use multiple keystrokes to select a character, where only one keystroke would be required on a conventional computer keyboard. Additionally, users of devices employing such methods must be familiar with the associations between the numeric keys and the letters they represent. Furthermore, different devices may assign different keys to represent different letters, which further confuses users. These all lead to reduced efficiency when entering data using a limited input device.
Electronic messaging is one area where the reduced efficiency may be burdensome to a user. Some types of electronic messaging, such as instant messaging, operate in nearly real-time. A typical instant message will include multiple text characters. Entering multiple keystrokes to generate each text character may lead to delay in responding to a message. This in turn may cause recipients to wait longer when receiving an instant message as compared to a user inputting characters on a limited input device. In a nearly real-time communication environment, such delay may be unacceptable.
Accordingly, what are desired are systems, methods, and computer program products that reduce the amount of input required to enter electronic messaging data on devices with limited input capabilities.